Team

Born Michal Shalom Leamer, to gypsy artist Christian hippies, Michal Sinnott was gifted her love for travel that would later shape her writing, living in six different US states by the age of five. As a SAG-AFTRA & Equity member, Michal has appeared in dozens of plays & over fifty principal/starring roles for radio, television, & film. She is the voice, likeness, & performance capture artist for Tracey De Santa, one of 7 main characters out of a cast of a 1000, in the billion dollar phenomenaGrand Theft Auto V. Her starring role in the LA Premiere of ‘White Hot’ at Hollywood Fringe earned her a Best Actress Award & her Ovation nominated theatre company, The Vagrancy, a Best Ensemble Award with knock-out reviews in ‘LA Weekly’ & ‘The Examiner.’ Performance highlights: roles in Spike Lee’s Inside Man & Quid Pro Quo with Vera Farmiga, 3 separate characters for LAW & ORDER: CI & a solo performance art piece for The Whitney Museum of American Art. She hosts The Women’s Independent Film Festival & is the co-creator & co-host of the Bechdel inspired podcast The Test through the female filmmaking non-profit Cinefemme. She has visited over 35 countries on 6 continents.

Kristen Murtha is a Los Angeles-based Producer originally from New England. She has worked at major movie studios such as DreamWorks and Warner Bros., as well as producing content for digital companies like Maker Studios, Awesomeness, Elite Daily and New Form Digital. Kristen’s digital and short form projects have enjoyed millions of online views and well over one hundred festival acceptances and awards. Her first independent feature, BAND AID, premiered at Sundance in 2017 and had a limited theatrical release with IFC and Sony Worldwide in June. Other releases include animated feature Lego Ninjago in September 2017 and documentary feature The Fix slated for 2018. Kristen is passionate about creating with a message and has founded the political activism organization Creatives for Progressive Action.

Emma Berdie Donson grew up in Ossining, NY and graduated with a BFA in Acting (High Honors) from the University of Michigan. Her recent experiences in production have led her to pursue a career in that field. She is the Executive Producer for the indie horror feature, The Last Room, featuring her casting choice Jacqueline Toboni (Trubel on Grimm – NBC). The Last Room will make its rounds on the festival circuit in 2017. She is also the Executive Producer for Dating & Auditioning: the Web Series, 2014-2015, which she also directed and cast, featuring actor Zach Booth (Damages – FX) and Ron (2012 Tony nom Follies, 3x Emmy nom Guiding Light – CBS). While living in NYC, and now in LA, she was/is responsible for a bi-weekly play/screenplay reading that facilitates the creation of new projects and artistic relationships. These prestigious readings became a staple for many of NYC’s young creators, most of whom had been cast on Broadway, in National tours, film, TV, etc. She has had the good fortune to work with Christine Lahti (Chicago Hope, L&O SVU), Mark Cendrowski (Big Bang Theory, Rules of Engagement), Gregory Doran (RSC), Charles Haid (Hill Street Blues, Breaking Bad, ER), and Yuri Sardarov (Chicago Fire, Argo, Ides of March). She loves spending sunny days outside with her Fox Terrier, Winnie.

Mary has spent much of the last decade working to help others heal through her art, writing, healing practice, & bread baking. Much of it began with the creation of Born That Way, the feature she co-wrote with her best friend Michal Sinnott during her first cross country move west after college. She and Michal met studying drama together at Catholic University. In addition to writing a feature that emphasizes the need for social justice & spark towards hope for humanity, Mary extended her healing mission into practicing holistic medicine. In 2015 she became a Physician of Chinese Medicine, graduating magna cum laude & as valedictorian of her cohort. She’s in private practice in South Pasadena, CA. While completing her graduate studies degree, she found another way to excite her community towards a more holistic lifestyle by starting her company, Bread Culture. She teaches dough to loaf bread classes to kids & adults all over Southern California.

Rob Travalino // Co-Executive Producer

Rob brings two decades of experience in producing, strategizing, story-forming, managing, writing & marketing entertainment & gaming properties, for major clients like Dreamworks, Disney, Lucasfilm, Warner Brothers, Sega of America, Coca-Cola, Hasbro Inc & more. Rob is writer & producer on the upcoming feature On The Wings Of The Phoenix, the amazing true story of Dr. Feng Shan Ho (China’s Oskar Schindler), a man who in pre-war Vienna, saved thousands of Jews from the coming Holocaust. Chow Yun Fat has committed to the project which is out for packaging. In the publishing space, Rob just finished his manuscript for The Snowman, a remarkable look into the personal life and musings of boxing great Muhammad Ali as told by one of his closest confidants. The book is repped by NY lit agent Linda Langton and will be developed for TV next year. Earlier in his career, Rob was a key development force behind helping G.I. Joe & Transformers become feature film franchises for Hasbro Entertainment. Rob also worked as story consultant on How To Train Your Dragon for DreamWorks & has done the same work for the Star Wars, Batman, and Harry Potter franchises. In the kids’ tv space, Rob cocreated & story edited Dragon Booster for Disney & co-created “Growing Up Creepy” for Discovery Kids. Winner of the Emmy, Gemini & Telly Awards, Rob has written & produced nearly 50 half-hours of tv, coauthored several YA novels & created gaming & publishing programs for many of the world’s biggest brands. Rob has produced & directed over 200 TV commercials & is a member of the Directors Guild of America.

Michelle Kantor co-founded Cinefemme, an organization dedicated to female filmmakers, as a graduate student at San Francisco State University & has served as Executive Director since 2007. She is an award-winning director, producer, writer & editor dedicated to advancing women in the professional ranks of cinema. Michelle’s industry credits include work for advertising agency BBDO, Logo’s “Gay for Play Starring RuPaul,” HBO, FYI, OWN, World of Wonder, The History Channel, Sony, Universal, MJA Advertising, & NASA. Michelle’s distinctions include Best Music Video at LA Femme Film Festival, Goldfarb Award for Best Student Film, & Thunen Memorial Scholarship from the Illuminating Engineers Society. She holds an MFA in Cinema from SFSU, & BFA in Film Production from the University of Colorado, Boulder. Michelle is also a certified paralegal, artist, mother & writer. The youngest daughter of political refugees who fled Communist Czechoslovakia in the 1960s, she is producing two projects about her family’s historic escapes: Red Star documents her father’s return on the 50th anniversary of his escape, & The Rebel, a narrative feature film in development.

An ADC Young Gunand Emmy Award nominee, Jordan has been drawing since before most of us could do long division. She has designed, animated and directed rich and beautiful music videos for bands like Hem and Paramore commercials for Eve Ensler, Paul McCartney, Google, Yakult, Travelbird, JetBlue and more, mythical independent films, animation for long documentaries like Waiting For Superman, and created Clio award-winning illustration. You may be wondering: “Can she really make all this amazing stuff and play Elliott Smith on the ukulele while drinking maracuja caipirinhas?” The answers are: I don’t know, and yes she can.

Nwaka Onwusa // Music Coordinator

Nwaka Ngozi Onwusa is the Curator of the GRAMMY Museum in Los Angeles. Born in Compton & raised in Fontana, CA, Onwusa began her career at the museum in the box office following a degree in Sociology at UC Riverside. With experience in education & in theater & the arts, Onwusa was offered the opportunity to advance as the education coordinator. Onwusa immediately became active in these department writing curricula, teaching workshops, booking & interviewing talent for educational workshops, & more. She has facilitated several educational events & programs for inner-city youth, overseeing the museum’s summer camp, Summer Sessions, & Music Industry Photography workshop for students, providing exposure to students who would have otherwise never held a camera. She has worked at the museum for a total of eight years & in her current role has curated some 15-20 exhibitions to date. Passionate about music, education, & history, she is committed to working in her community & inspiring youth to become involved in the arts & museum studies while getting her master’s degree at USC Sol Price School of Public Policy.

David Sevuri // Production Manager of the Tanzanian Unit

David Sevuri, who brings decades of experience, heads TRUE VISION PRODUCTION (T) LTD. He joined the film industry in 1995 with his sharp skill of building up the media industry with a keen eye towards film production & a know-how of the business of Tanzania & International Cinema. He holds a degree in Mass Communication & brings a very acute judgment of what works in a particular market. He has often been a consultant to various projects related to audio / visual productions where his role has been to make projects viable for international markets or commercial success in Tanzania & beyond. Add to that, a wonderful circle of friends & networks he has in various film festivals, & broadcasters, which makes him a valuable asset in the African film market. He excels in managing multiple projects from concept development through execution & delivery while meeting all budget & schedule requirements. He’s lauded in establishing win-win relationships with people of diverse cultures, with a proven ability to multitask in a fastpaced environment. David works mainly on directing documentaries, short/experimental films, & corporate films while delivering quality services to clients in the Government, the private sector, NGO’s & International Agencies in Tanzania, Zambia, South Africa, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda & Burundi.

Katherin is a documentary filmmaker, cinematographer, and photographer based in Brooklyn, NY. Her work tends to blur the borders of narrative and experimental documentary and is deeply inspired by sound and technology. In May 2014, she released her first feature documentary, CLIM8, at the Altitudes Festival in Switzerland. Katherin was a fellow at the UnionDocs Collaborative Studioin 2014-15 where she co-directed and shot, Animal Landlords and I Was Here First. The latter premiered at the DOC NYC Film Festival in November 2015. Katherin also contributed to the Sisters of the Wicked Wig, a documentary on Brooklyn drag culture, which premiered at the LA Indie Film Festival in March 2016. Born That Way is her first narrative feature film.

Digital Marketing Team

Brittany Hottmann // Marketing Coordinator

Brittany is an actress, writer, animal lover, human rights activist, and newbie to life in the Big Apple. From making quirky short films with friends at the age of seven to being cast in the upcoming web series (and Sherlock spinoff), A Finger Slip, Brittany loves the art of film in many sorts. She is an alumnus of The International Thespian Society, has been in multiple plays and showcases, and spends most of her time analyzing and excessively quoting movies, TV shows, as well as video games. She is a recent graduate of the certificate program at Michigan Actors Studio — a school that helped shape her acting skill set in film, theater, and voiceover, but she is also a private acting and screenwriting student of Michal Sinnott. As far as writing goes, she is super stoked to be on the journey of writing her first TV show, The Family Man with a Plan. You can check out her poetry on her quasi-famous Tumblr,theneuroticlesbian.

Jordan Snowden // Webmaster, Instagram Guru

Jordan is a bookworm and live music lover from Pennsylvania. After receiving her Bachelor’s degree Communications Media in 3 years, she went on to intern and freelance as a writer (D.C. Music Download, Femme and Fortune,) and social media marketer (Jewel and Lotus, Star Pittsburgh/Y108 Pittsburgh). Her various experience includes social media marketing, music journalism, and fashion blogging. When she’s not working she can be found traveling, hula-hooping or watching Netflix with the subtitles on.

Kathryn King // Twitter Extraordinaire

Kathryn King is a recent film and media graduate from the University of Kansas as well as an established musician with four albums and a self-produced EP on the way. She’s performed in cities and venues ranging from SXSW in Austin, Texas to Munich, Germany and has opened for acts ranging from Leon Bridges to Creed Brattonof The Office. Her self-shot and edited documentary short, Falling Up – A Songwriters Tale, was nominated for best editing in the 2017 Tensie Awards and the video for her original song The Final was nominated for best music video. On top of music, she is working as an independent contractor, editing and shooting promotional videos for different client’s social media use as a way to gain experience and move further into the film business. In her downtime, she enjoys learning the arts of bartending, hanging out with her cats, and watching The Office on repeat.

Eliza O’Donovan // Tumblr Master

Eliza is an art enthusiast who can be found constantly listening to music. She is a Junior at James Madison University studying media arts and design, concentrating in creative advertising, and minoring in creative writing. Eliza is from Baltimore, Maryland where she was exposed early to the concepts of privilege and diversity. From here, she realized the importance of empathy and perspective. Being an extrovert, she always finds her energy from other people’s happiness. She is driven to help make the world a better place by utilizing her skills in communications and media design to lessen manipulative motives. She radiates off of positivity and can be seen feeling free-spirited at music festivals and concerts. Some of her major passions include: discovering music, painting canvases, and camping with her friends in the Shenandoah Valley.

Janéa Taylor // Tumblr Master

Janéa is a current Mass Communications student at Virginia Commonwealth University concentrating in Public Relations. She is an avid reader, volunteer, and advocate for women’s rights, racial equality, and LGBTQ+ rights. She currently resides in Richmond, Virginia where she is involved in many organizations such as Rebuilding Richmond, Black Awakening Gospel Choir, and the Richmond Food Bank. When she is not in school, working, or volunteering, she is either traveling, trying new cuisine, or attending the different festivals located in Richmond.

Cody Wood // Ace of Facebook

Cody is a Native American, born and raised in the hot deserts of Arizona. His professional journey started when he attended Full Sail University in Florida. Where he, of course, knocked it out of the ballpark and graduated with a Bachelors Degree in Film. It was here where he found love…the love of camera operating and video editing. He’s worked a variety of projects ranging from freelance camera operating to short films. He even had a brief stint at being a video editor for a popular YouTuber! Cody is a simple man, enjoying the luxuries of playing video games, watching movies, and hanging with friends. His positive attitude and mannerisms can only be described by his friends as, “He may have some sort of undiagnosed ADHD.” Cody loves the art of filmmaking and dreams of being a camera operator one day in the big leagues! He also dreams of being able to pay off his student loans without selling a vital organ of his.

Alana Maiello // Media Consultant

Alana believes art is a powerful medium to change conversation & change the world. After working at Goldman Sachs for 3 years, her brain was STARVING for creative work. She quit her finance job & started helping tech startups & CEOs tell their stories through videos & social media strategy. When Alana started producing & directing digital commercials, she witnessed how powerful videos can impact an audience to change, to see issues in a new light, & find solutions that improve their lives. As a marketing & video consultant to the band The Killers (Mr, Brightside), entertainment/tech Blue Fever, & BI startup Grow, Alana crafts creative & manages strategy aimed at impacting audiences to believe & engage with powerful stories.

Claire Fishman // Assistant Editor

A freelance editor and award-winning filmmaker, Claire has been a storyteller all of her life. Her two short films, Fat Ass (2013) and Never Been Sicker (2015), were official selections at several festivals across the country, where Never Been Sicker won Best Director & Best Actor Awards in several fests. Her music video, Hair Lockets (2014), won the Best New Media Award at the 2014 Trenton Film Festival and the Best Student Experimental Award at the 2015 Brightside Tavern Film Festival. As a writer, she is drawn towards stories about young people battling with themselves, and how they find hope in their situations. She is absolutely thrilled to be a part of the Born That Way team.

Dyna Drones, LLC is an FAA approved aerial cinematography company that captures stunning shots from the air using state of the art technology. As experts in the field, their pilots have over 15 years of experience with remote-controlled aircraft. As one of Born That Way’s Partners, Dyna Drones accompanied the Born That Way Team to Tanzania in July & August 2017 for the African portion of production.

GRAY KRAUSS STRATFORD SANDLER DES ROCHERS LLP // Legal Counsel

GRAY KRAUSS STRATFORD SANDLER DES ROCHERS LLP, ORIGINALLY FOUNDED IN 1998, IS A FULL-SERVICE ENTERTAINMENT LAW FIRM CONCENTRATING IN FILM, TELEVISION, MUSIC AND INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY. THE FIRM HAS SERVED AS PRODUCTION COUNSEL FOR HUNDREDS OF FILMS AND TELEVISION SERIES, GUIDING CLIENTS THROUGH RIGHTS ACQUISITION, FINANCIAL STRUCTURING, CONTRACT NEGOTIATION, PHYSICAL PRODUCTION, AND DISTRIBUTION. THE FIRM ALSO REPRESENTS INSTITUTIONAL AND PRIVATE LENDERS IN ALL ASPECTS OF MOTION PICTURE LENDING. THE FIRM’S MUSIC PRACTICE COUNSELS CLIENTS ON A WIDE VARIETY OF TRANSACTIONS, FROM REPRESENTATION OF MAJOR LABEL RECORDING ARTISTS AND PROMINENT PUBLISHERS TO INDEPENDENT RECORD AND PUBLISHING DEALS. THE FIRM’S TALENT PRACTICE COUNSELS PERFORMERS, COMEDIANS, WRITERS, DIRECTORS, AND PRODUCERS ON A WIDE VARIETY OF TRANSACTIONS WITH LEADING FILM STUDIOS, TELEVISION NETWORKS, AND PRODUCTION COMPANIES.

Gray Krauss Stratford Sandler Des Rochers LLP (GKSSD) is one of the premier entertainment law firms focusing on independent film. The firm has served as production counsel for hundreds of films and television series, and since joining GKSSD in 2011, Bianca has provided legal services on a wide array of titles including TheWolfpack, Cutie and the Boxer, Certain Women, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Skeleton Twins, Listen Up Philip, and more.

Born That Way is a recipient of Big Vision Empty Wallet’s Kickstart Diversity Program. The program encourages diversity in storytelling at the independent level by supporting projects written, directed, and/or produced by Women, People of Color and Members of the LGBTQ Community.

Through the program, Born That Way will receive 15-75% discounts from vendors nationwide for everything from camera rentals to sound design to deliverables to marketing, saving money through all stages of production, and giving the investor more bang for your buck. The program also offers exclusive access to education and distribution opportunities, that will aid Born That Way in building and activating its audience.